Band leader Rudy Furlan has been playing the music from Cuba’s golden years – son, cumbia, meringue, danzón, vals (waltz) and bolero from the 1940s and 50s — since Los Boleros formed in 2000.

“Cuban music pulses to a different rhythm,” Furlan explained. “While in most other music styles, the rhythms are based strictly on the down beats, in Cuban son it’s a clever combination of down and upbeats. This pulse is called a tumbao, and it is held in place by a 2-3 or 3-2 click played on hard wood clave sticks. When I first heard Cuban music, it was this rhythm that piqued my interest. At first I didn’t understand it. But after listening for a while, it became contagious.”

Furlan, who began his career in music at age 15 as lead guitarist in a rock band, said that it wasn’t until after he studied classical theory — the language, the notation, the rhythm, harmonic function, form, texture and structure of music — that he realized that while rules could be found in music, the boundaries were wide open. Later, in order to play the “essence” of Cuban music, the “son,” Furlan took up the Tres Cubano. This is a guitar-like instrument, with three double strings. It takes a center-stage role in the performance of the Cuban son, and is also featured in many Afro-Cuban bands. It is definitely featured in Los Boleros.

“This year’s performance will be something a little different,” Furlan said. “The theme will be love and our featured vocalist will be the lovely and very talented, Zareen. We will also be joined by our special guest, Michael Crager, on piano.”

Furlan said this Los Boleros performance will be intimate, with delicate nuances to explosive rhythms, and everything in between. This year’s seven piece band is Furlan on Tres Cubano, Zareen on lead vocals and hand percussion, Eugene Warren on acoustic upright bass, Dominic Cabrera on congas and vocals, Osvaldo Carbajal on percussion and vocals, Michael Crager on piano and vocals, and David Sommers on tenor sax and flute. Both Furlan and Sommers are Pacificans.

All band members have heavy hitting résumés and equally impressive music education credentials. Furlan admitted to being constantly “wowed by the talent of the people in this band.”

“What sets Los Boleros apart from the ‘rest,’ is the band’s ability to stay true to our goal of playing a more traditional sound and incorporating a lot of backup vocals in our music,” Furlan said. “And we work, a lot.”

When not playing in clubs, or doing corporate events for such business giants as Google and Visa, the band is constantly hired out for weddings and other celebrations. Come summertime, those wedding gigs average two a week.

Songs included in the great Los Boleros songbook include — “Piel Canela,” (skin as tan as cinnamon), a Cha Cha originally performed by Eydie Gorme, “Cantinero de Cuba” about a Cuban bartender whose heart has darkened because of all the wrong choices in love and “El Carretero,” by Guillermo Portabales, which tells the story of a poor country man who hopes one day, because of his hard work, to marry the boss’s daughter.

“One of the songs we are looking forward to playing this Saturday night is an Afro-Peruvian tune, ‘De los amores,’ the things of love,” Furlan said. “In this song, a woman is feeling that she is not loved and it makes her feel unattractive. It is a slow ballad but we changed the rhythm to a nifty tumbao with clave, and expect to have everyone dancing.”

Traditional salsa and Cuban “son” reminiscent of the Buena Vista Social Club, only partly describes an evening with Rudy Furlan and Los Boleros.

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